1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional model analyzing apparatus which analyzes physical properties of a three-dimensional model.
2) Description of the Related Art
The finite element method is known as an approximate calculation method for research of physical systems of a continuum, and used in the fields of structural mechanics, electric field theory, and fluid mechanics.
In the finite element method, a three-dimensional model as an object to be analyzed is divided into a plurality of small portions (finite elements), and function approximation of each finite element is made in order to obtain an algebraic equation.
Conventionally, the object to be analyzed is manually divided. Usually, portions of the object having acute curvature is divided into smaller finite elements, and other portions of the object having gentle curvature is divided into greater finite elements, since stress concentration is likely to occur in the portions having acute curvature.
However, the result of analysis can vary according to the manner of division. For example, the result of analysis varies according to the degree of skill of an operator.
In order to solve the above problem, the so-called VOXEL method is proposed. In the VOXEL method, before analysis, an object to be analyzed is divided into a plurality of hexahedral elements, called VOXELs, having an identical shape. Since the object is divided into a plurality of elements having an identical shape, processing for analysis becomes easy, and the object can be automatically divided by software. Nevertheless, in the VOXEL method, edges of the object to be analyzed become singular points, and therefore the accuracy of the analysis often decreases. The singular point is a point at which a curve has no smoothly turning tangent.